Temper Fantasy Football Expectations For Reggie Bush

By Tristen Challe

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The fantasy football playoffs are in full swing, and picking and choosing your lineup is extremely important. One running back that has been a boom or bust for his fantasy owners is Detroit Lions ball carrier Reggie Bush. He’s carried your team in some weeks and hurt you in others. Heading into a Monday night matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, expectations need to be tempered for Bush, and he could bust your team out of the playoffs.

It’s no doubt that Bush, when healthy, is a huge asset to the Lions and is a crucial part of their game plan. Fantasy-wise, Bush has given his owners as many as 25 points when he’s had at least 10 carries, which was all the way back in Week 1, and as low as three points in a dreadful Week 11 outing. Bush is the Jekyll and Hyde of fantasy running backs, and you just don’t know which one you will get.

Bush really hurt his fantasy owners last week as he tweaked his calf in warm-ups and sat the game out at the last minute. Bush tells reporters that he should be a go on Monday night’s game, but given that the Lions won’t practice until Thursday, we won’t know the full extent of what he can do on the field until later in the week.

Besides the complete no-show performances and a calf injury, Bush has another negative attached to his name in this matchup.

Bush faces a stout Ravens defense which allows the fourth-least fantasy points to opposing running backs. The Ravens have only allowed three rushing touchdowns over the entire 2013 NFL season and have only allowed opposing running backs over 100 total rushing rushing in four games.

Who were those four players who have eclipsed over 100 yards rushing against the Ravens? A combination of C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson in Week 4, Eddie Lacy in Week 6, Le’Veon Bell in Week 7 and finally, Toby Gerhart and Adrian Peterson in Week 14. That is quite the tough company of running backs and frankly, Bush doesn’t belong in the same group.

Teams try to run the ball against the Ravens as opposing running backs have at least 20 carries in 10 of 13 weeks, only to find a lack of running lanes and big-yardage runs. Bush is not a 20-plus carry player himself, as he only has four games this season where he recorded 20 or more carries. Let’s not forget that if the Lions do have a game plan set up for the run, they have a viable backup in Joique Bell, who has carried the ball 19 or more times in three games this season.

Bush is a boom-or-bust fantasy player and now that you find yourself in the fantasy playoffs, it’s no time to take a gamble. There are other running backs that are more consistent than Bush — don’t put the chance of advancing to championship week in his hands against the Ravens.

Tristen Challe is a Fantasy Writer for Rantsports. Follow him on Twitter @TristenChalle or on Google